Portland Coastguard, this is Swanage calling.....

Some of the team went down to Portland Coastguard MRCC (the "ops room") this evening to get to meet our colleagues, put faces to voices heard over the radio and importantly to get an understanding of what goes on in the ops room when there's an incident in progress.

We saw how calls come in, how our teams are tasked, how to predict the location of a drifting vessel and we also had a look at the AIS system - a real time display charting the position, direction and speed of any ship in a given area. By drilling down further the operator can get details such as type of vessel, home port etc and we took a closer look at a couple of ships including the Condor ferry making its way back to Weymouth and a strangely named cargo vessel somewhere off Lyme Bay.

Our thanks go to the good people of C Watch for showing us around.

Oh, and Oz got to have a go on the computer....

Probably the best rescue in the World

The events in Chile have shown the World what can be achieved if people work together to find solutions and don't give up hope.

Its an inspiration to all rescue workers around the world

Photo from the Telegraph

New Terms

Every now and then a team member comes up with a new term to describe something so when Austen was describing the condition of a recent casualty out popped the term "well they looked like a Smurf" (i.e. they were blue in colour and very cold!)

So heres some more .......

Austen Smurf......he's not cold but usually hungry

A Bit Chilly Billy

Another shout this evening – to a naked chap who was found intoxicated on the beach. After a quick chase Austen got hold of him before handing him over to the Ambulance service who in turn handed him over to the Police.

The incident took place just before dark and I am advised by Dee that the chap was very cold.

Lucky that one of the lifeboat crew who was walking his dog spotted him and made the call. Many others had previously walked past him perhaps afraid to intervene.

Certainly a different job, lets hope that chap warms up.

Juicy

One of the team who lives near the station has a pear tree in his garden. Trouble is, he doesn't like pears. I on the other hand like pears, but I don't have a pear tree. Now us coastguards like to help each other out, so when I got back to the station after our accident prevention patrol on Sunday I was pleased to find a big bag of pears waiting for me. Thanks Gareth.

a pear

a pair

au pair

.

.

Note: Library pictures only and not the actual pears supplied. In the case of the au pair, there never really was one at all. Well, I haven't got to the bottom of the bag yet, but I don't think there was.....

Did I miss anything?

As usual I spent the night away and miss the interesting jobs!

The lifeboat crew did a super job with the yacht crew, Ive just been down to Peveril to see bits washed up.

Meanwhile the ever so grateful kite surfer yet again showing the good side of British life and the thanks we often don't get

And final get back to check the station and find Tom has put the remains of a bomb on the desk, thanks Tom.

All in a weekend! Still it was good to catch up with Pip our previous Sector Manager and the delights of Torquay!

Saturday - Yacht Incident, Peveril Ledge.

A video from the Swanage Lifeboat Crew; well done chaps.

http://www.rnlivideolibrary.org.uk/getvideo.aspx?vid=X6SQ3XdH

Brian's Photo

Thanks to Dave Turnball down at Swanage Lifeboat Station who has updated Brian's photo on the main website. (Dave hosts our website and does all the techno wizzy internet stuff for us, thanks chap.)

Brian's been banging on about it for months, ... actually 2 years!, so hopefully he's satisfied.

Brain: Contemplating whether to put unleaded petrol into a diesel engine. 

And lest we forget his camp photo...

Call the Coastguard

Disappointing to read Deputy Blog’s post about the kite surfer yesterday. Particularly as I was with my family near the Lifeboat station as the alarm was raised, and we watched as the crewmen arrived, launched the boat and headed off towards Studland. Across town, I knew that the same would be going on at the Coastguard station – the IRT would be on site, taking details of the emergency and getting the MRU out of the garage and on the road. Through my pager I heard the lifeboat exchanging details with Portland, and then our own ‘Swanage Mobile’ also on-line, and it made me feel proud to belong to this dedicated band of volunteers.

I wasn’t there, so I don’t know. But, if several members of the public all called the coastguard, then I think the kite surfer really was in difficulty – even if he didn’t recognise it himself, so despite his reaction well done to them for calling. And well done to the lifeboat chaps and the IRT for responding.

As always, the message is If you are in distress, or if you see someone in difficulty, or who even appears to be in difficulty at sea and around our coastline, DIAL 999 and ask for the COASTGUARD.

Kite Surfer

This afternoon Portland Coastguard MRCC took several separate 999 calls from members of the public concerned for the safety of a kite surfer at Knoll Beach, Studland who had got into difficulties.

The IRT was tasked at 16:03 to attend. A passing dinghy provided assistance until Swanage ILB were able to come alongside in an attempt to secure the casualty and take him to shore. The casualty stated that he was not in danger and refused assistance from the RNLI and refused to give details to the HM Coastguard team claiming that Britain was a 'nanny state', and that we had wasted time and money, and that there was recession.......

The assessment from the experienced lifeboat crew was that the kite surfer, who was surfing alone, was in serious difficulty and did require immediate assistance. It would appear that the chap was supremely overconfident in his own kite surfing ability and did not appreciate the danger that he was in.

The lifeboat crew and the coastguard team left the chap to consider whether his behavior and demeanor was appropriate given we are voluntary emergency workers; who in the case of the RNLI crew, had put themselves  in harms way in order to assist.

On the way back to the station a 'giggle' of kids playing on the beach gave us a wave and a 'Hello Mr Coastmen', which made it a worthwhile trip after all! Never been called that before!